The Polar Bear King

A Remarkable Film
I rented this movie several months ago from the video store for my cousins aged 7 and 10 while their mother was out of town. They grew up in a house without cable television, in a part of the country where network television reception was not available without a cable hookup. Consequently, their media exposure as children was limited to occasional Disney movies on video. I am not a fan of Disney, or children's cartoon films in general, so I thought that this adaptation of a Norweigan folktale might fit the bill. Although I was concerned that, due to the fact that my cousins had had almost no exposure to violent or "scary" sequences in films, this movie might scare them or prove to be over their heads. BOY WAS I WRONG! They LOVED it. This is, without question, a family film. Some of the acting is cliched (the evil queen's demonic wedding banquet towards the end is so cliched that many adults will have to bite their lip to keep from laughing out loud) The special effects and animatronic...

An old Norse fairy tale remade
We first found this video in the video section of our local library. My entire family enjoyed it. It is based on an old Norse legend entitled "East o' the Sun, West o' the Moon." I was told the story by my Norwegian aunt when I was a child and have a bound copy of it that I read to my two children on a regular basis. The video isn't quite true to the tale but what adaptation is? It does a more than creditable job of telling the story. It has all the things that make a fairy tale great--a beautiful princess, a handsome prince under a terrible curse, an evil witch. The soundtrack is a little choppy but the photography is quite lovely and very well done for an obscure little Scandinavian film. My, at the time five years old, daughter found the story easy to follow and adored it. I found it to be a wholesome enjoyable treat fit for viewing by the entire family.

Very special but not well known
I am very, very glad to have discovered this obscure movie. I love it and have put it in my list of special favorites. It is not just for young children: I myself am 24 years old.

I chose to rent it from the video store, on a hunch. The unusual music struck me instantly and I knew that I would love the movie if only for that. I could not forget about it. It haunted me though I could not say why. I rented it again. On the second time I watched it, I saw more depth, and the music again moved me. The land of snow was beautiful, pristine and achingly lonely. Bare branches against blue skies; thick fur coats; fuzzy beards -- these images helped me to feel almost as though I was in the Winterland, almost as though I could touch it. And I understood the Princess's longing to see other places.

The Princess is a brave and heroic character. She makes the plans to rescue her cursed husband, the King of the South, and she overcomes obstacles with great willpower, and...

Click to Editorial Reviews